Chapter 357


    He paced anxiously outside the emergency room with an air of restless worry, muttering nonstop, "It


    can''t be. She''ll be fine. She''ll be fine!"


    He was about to go mad! He banged heavily on the ER door. "Doctor, let me in, Natalia-"


    His loud voice drew the ire of a nurse. "Sir, this is a hospital. Please keep your voice down. And don''t


    bang on the door!"


    The shing red light above the ER filled Hector with dread. He never thought that the girl he had


    breakfast with this morning could be in a car ident.


    After what seemed like an eternity, the door finally opened, and several medical staff rolled out a


    gurney.


    "Doctor, is she okay? Is she okay?" Hector, frantic and disoriented, rushed over.


    The lead surgeon removed his mask, shaking his head with an air of pessimism. "The patient''s


    condition is critical. She could slip into a vegetative state at any moment. Whether she wakes up


    depends on her will to live."


    Hector felt as though he''d been electrocuted. The idea of sweet, innocent Natalia in a vegetative state


    was unthinkable. No, it couldn’t be!


    "Doctor, please save her, she''s so young, she can''t be a vegetable! Doctor, please!" Hector


    grabbed the doctor''s hand, pleading desperately.


    The doctor, well ustomed to theings and goings of life, was indifferent to the pleas. Noticing


    Hector''s panic-stricken face, he suggested, "You could try talking to her once she''s out of the woods.


    Try to awaken her will to live. If she''s given up, there''s nothing more we can do."


    Hearing this, Hector felt his heart break into a million pieces. Looking at Natalia''s pale cheeks, as white


    as paper, he felt a stabbing pain in his heart. It was all his fault for not taking better care of her. How


    could this have happened?


    Hector kept vigil outside Natalia''s room for a whole day and night, not wanting to leave until the doctor


    said she was temporarily out of danger.


    Relieved, Hector quickly followed the doctor into the room. After they moved Natalia into the sterile


    ICU, Hector entered, looking at her bruised arm, his heart aching so much he could barely breathe. He


    took care of Natalia with all his heart, spending all day by her bedside.


    Half a month went by, and Hector was unkempt and unshaven and was on the brink of a breakdown.


    One day, sitting by Natalia''s bed, looking at her lifeless face, he was filled with guilt. "Natalia, can you


    hear me?


    "Natalia, can you open your eyes and look at me?


    "Natalia, I know your heart still belongs to Magnus, I know. If it weren''t for those disgusting rumors


    about him, you wouldn''t be like this.


    "Natalia, you need to get better. There are so many people in this world who care about you. Think


    about me. Think about your adorable son!"


    Hector kept talking to Natalia, but shey motionless, her breathing maintained by oxygen, with no


    response.


    And thus, the sorrowful yet resilient girl fell into a deep sleep, as if using sleep to numb her heart free


    from the pain of reality...


    Hector held on, encouraging Natalia again and again. He knew her well - if anyone in this world could


    make her fight for her life, it would be Magnus and their son. Of course, this realization hurt Hector. He


    thought their meeting was a chance from heaven to start over, but no matter what he did, he could


    never make Natalia smile. Even the news about Magnus she read in the newspaper was more


    important than him.


    He admitted defeat. Yes, he couldn''tpete with Magnus.


    But now, none of that mattered.


    "Natalia, please wake up, don''t give up on yourself. As long as you wake up, I''m willing to bury my love


    for you deep in my heart and be your brother from now on. I will stand by you and take care of you.


    "Natalia, I know you still love Magnus. If you love him, fight for him, don''t hide away! Don''t you want to


    spare your son a stepmother? Don''t you know that stepmothers usually mistreat children?


    "Natalia, stand up for yourself. Wake up, open your eyes, and look at me, okay? Tell me you''re still


    alive. I know you''re strong. You survived falling into the ocean six years ago, you''ll open your eyes


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    again this time."


    Hector kept talking, but Natalia didn''t respond. The burly man finally broke down, crying uncontrobly


    by Natalia''s bedside. Even the bravest of men shed tears when they were heartbroken.


    Hector was in despair, crying uncontrobly. The doctor on duty rushed in, trying to pull him out. "Sir,


    you need to stay calm. The patient is still unconscious. Your crying won''t help, please be rational."


    Hector''s face was streaked with tears. He argued with the doctor, "Stay calm? How can I stay calm


    when she''s been lying there motionless for half a month?! I wish I was the one lying there, not her!"


    The doctor sighed. Hospitals saw too much life and death, too much helplessness, and they were used


    to it.


    Then, Hector suddenly stood up and grabbed the doctor''s cor. "Doctor, look, her fingertip just moved.


    Really, go take a look!"


    "No!" Hector roared. "I felt it just now. Her fingertips twitched. They really did! It wasn''t a hallucination."